| This Week at St. Luke’s |
| Public Health Indicators: here Free COVID test from Durham County here. Click here and scroll down for Online Worship Bulletin. Saturday, April 29 9:30 a.m. Altar Guild set up. Grams Gutknecht, Joanne Hooker, Mary Jane Moore, Jean Willard, John Willard Sunday, April 30 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. Masks optional (except for ministers serving Communion or doing healing ministry). Preacher, Presider: The Rev. Rhonda M. Lee, Ph.D. There is fellowship time in the Sprague Room immediately after each service. 9-10 a.m. Adult Learning, Kramer Room. Megan McCurley, Executive Director of LEAP (the Latino Educational Achievement Partnership) will join us to discuss St. Luke’s partnership with LEAP and how it can grow. 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Re-Launch of Outreach and Community Engagement. Nave Monday, May 1 2-3 p.m. Executive Committee meeting 7-8 p.m. Newcomers Committee meeting on Zoom Tuesday, May 2 Rector’s Office Day. (Please call before visiting to make sure Rhonda is available.) Wednesday, May 3 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Diocesan meeting, Kramer Room 11:30 a.m. Prayer and Share on Zoom 1-4 p.m. Chrismon group meeting, location TBD 5:30-6:30 p.m. Handbell Choir rehearsal, nave 7-8:30 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal, nave. Thursday, May 4 Friday, May 5 11:30 a.m. Connections and Support Group by Zoom 6-8:30 p.m. LEAP Spring Fund Raiser, Johnson Hall. Click here (givebutter.com/c/decolores) to learn more and to reserve tickets. Saturday, May 6 7:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. El Buen Pastor Food Distribution 9:30 a.m. Altar Guild set up. Our Nursery is open Sunday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m. for infants through children aged five. Both nursery attendants are fully vaccinated and boosted and will be wearing masks. |
| New and Ongoing Announcements |
| New Covid Booster. This week the CDC/FDA approved an additional bivalent booster for those over 65 years of age who have not had a booster in at least four months. Find out where to get your shot here. The Easter alleluias are back! During the Great Fifty Days of Easter, from today through the day of Pentecost, we bring back our cries of “Alleluia, alleluia!” Deacon Kate offers them when dismissing us, and we respond in kind. These alleluias are reserved for the Easter season, to proclaim our joy in the Resurrection. After the day of Pentecost, we will return to simply responding to the dismissal with “Thanks be to God.” So many of us work so hard to help St. Luke’s be a part of our community in a meaningful way. You are invited to be a part of the Outreach and Community Engagement Committee. The committee explores ways we can best serve the community. This starts with helping with Outreach funds but can also explore ways we can expand our involvement with those organizations around us in order to best help those in need. If you would like to explore this meaningful part of our ministry or have an organization that you’re familiar with where we may be involved, please join us Sunday April 30th after the 10:30 Eucharist. Contact Bob Buchanan and/or Kate Wisz with questions. Dedication of the Scott Chapman Memorial Plaque on Sunday, April 30th. Over the years, Scott Chapman led numerous construction projects at St. Luke’s. These included major renovations in both the nave and Johnson Hall, installation of sound absorbing panels in Johnson Hall, expansion of the memorial garden, and installation of the sound reflecting ceiling and flooring in the nave. His most memorable and visible achievement was his leadership in locating, moving, and installing our beautiful Moller organ. His dedicated work significantly enhanced our worship services and musical events and will continue to do so in St. Luke’s future. On Sunday, April 30th at the 10:30 service, a plaque in Scott’s memory will be dedicated giving the Moller organ the honorary name, “The Chapman Organ.” Sunday Adult Learning in Eastertide. Celebration of our baptismal covenant through service in our community, Loving One Another! April 30, May 7, 14, 21, and 28 – the remaining dates in the 50 days of Eastertide: Over the course of the Sundays of Eastertide Deacon Kate will lead an exploration of the ways St. Luke’s has served our community, highlight current community engagement, and explore possible opening paths for us as a congregation. This Sunday April 30, Megan McCurley (she, her, hers) Executive Director of LEAP (The Latino Educational Achievement Partnership) will join us. Megan has been in North Carolina since 2008, has served as the Executive Director of the Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education and helped build the Bull City Community Schools Partnership. She earned a B.S. in Childhood Education, and a M.A. in Anthropology and Education. She is a Latina educator and her two children are LEAP alums. Please join us to hear how St Luke’s has been in partnership with LEAP and where there are needs that St Luke’s might serve in partnership with LEAP going forward. CORRECTION to last week’s announcements: Adult Learning on Sunday the 14th of May (NOT the 30th of April) will be devoted to the fact that on Pentecost, St. Luke’s will start using a slightly different translation of the Nicene Creed. This version is actually a more faithful translation of the original Greek from the fourth century, and it’s approved for use both by the Episcopal Church and specifically for our use by Bishop Sam Rodman. Please plan to attend Adult Learning from 9:10 to 10 a.m. on May 14th to learn more! Adult Formation generally meets at 9:10 a.m. in the Kramer Room, just off the north-side narthex. Please plan to join in the celebration of our Christian commitment to love and serve one another. Chrismons at Easter: Chrismons (CHRISt + MONogram) are symbols that proclaim the Name, the Life, and the saving Acts of Jesus Christ. Though in the past we have only displayed Chrismons at Christmas, they can be used at any time of the year to highlight aspects of Jesus’ life and the faith journey we share with Christians over many centuries. It had been our Chrismon leader Sue Campbell’s wish that we use Chrismons at Easter. In her memory we hope to start a new tradition this year. Chrismons are made in combinations of white and gold. White refers to our Lord’s purity and perfection; gold for His majesty and glory. For Easter we have hung them on bare branches to remind us of the “old rugged cross” on which Jesus died. The beauty of the symbols remind us that death was not the last word—Christ rose from the grave and now reigns in glory as Lord and King of all. SYMBOLS displayed for Easter: Serpent on the Tau Cross reminds us of the bronze serpent which saved the Israelites in the wilderness; prefigured the crucifixion. The Dove which descended on Jesus after his baptism. Crosses of many types (Celtic, Latin, St. Andrew’s X-cross). Shell to remind us of our baptism. Chalice and wafer to remind us of the Last Supper. Angels who announced the resurrection. Butterflies which are symbols of resurrection. Fish with ichthus (Greek word for fish; first letters of the Greek=Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior). Crowns to remind us that Jesus is Lord and King of all. Rector & Friends Bible Study: The Next Installment. Friends, please join in reading and discussing the book of Jonah on second and fourth Tuesdays from 7 to 8:15 p.m. The next installment will be May 9. Only four chapters long, the book of Jonah plumbs theological depths. (Not to mention the depths of the sea, and the depths of a fish’s belly.) We will devote at least two, and possibly four, sessions to this remarkable tale of repentance, resistance, and grace. No advance preparation is necessary. We will read the text aloud and discuss it together. Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84865462615. Volunteers needed for the next Every Member Canvass/Stewardship Drive this fall. Would you be willing to help to ensure that St Luke’s has the financial resources to continue to grow and thrive? This is not a significant time commitment and your help would be needed primarily in October. Please join our EMC Team. Please contact Jim Brunnquell if interested. 919-358-0801 or jbrunnquell@nc.rr.com Update from the Almoner. As usual, when a request goes out, St. Luke members show up! Thank all of you who have given to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund of late. We have been able to assist a number of requests from neighbors as a result. We are finding that the amounts requested are higher than they have been in the past, which isn’t really surprising given our current economy. Rental assistance is the most common request, “affordable housing” almost an oxymoron right now. We are deeply grateful for your generosity as always. And, more to come on Breathing Space updates, our committed monthly gift to a Durham neighbor. Thank you again. Jan. De Colores: LEAP Spring Fundraiser and Auction Party, May 4, 6- 8 p.m. Come celebrate and support LEAP’s work with drinks and hors devours and bid on valuable prizes. Click here (givebutter.com/c/decolores) to learn more and to reserve tickets. Silvia College Graduation. Out of gratitude for St. Luke’s past support for her granddaughter Cheyenne, Joyce Silvia, a long-time friend of St. Luke’s, has graciously invited church members to celebrate Cheyenne’s college graduation. May 6, 2023, 1 p.m., Edison Johnson Recreation Center. RSVP: Joyce Silvia 984-287-9983. Our long-time priest associate, Jim Craven, will celebrate his final Eucharists with St. Luke’s on Sunday the 14th of May at 8 and 10:30 a.m. Jim will continue as St. Luke’s priest associate after that date. Beholding and Being Held: A Celebration of Julian of Norwich on the 650th Anniversary of her Revelations. May 20, 10am-3pm, at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hillsborough. Come for all or part of a day of lectures, prayer, and devotional meditations exploring Julian’s Revelations. The Rev. Dr. Susan Eastman, Pauline scholar; The Rev. Robert Fruehwirth, Julian author; and Dr. Joanna Murdoch will lead the day. For a schedule, more information, and to register: https://tinyurl.com/julianday23 St. Luke’s Durham Bulls Outing, June 4. Would you like to see a Durham Bulls Game with St. Luke’s? We are planning a group outing to the Durham Bulls v. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Sunday, June 4 at 5:05 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and are in the Terrace View, Section 209. The deadline to sign up and pay for tickets is Sunday, May 28. Click here for an online signup form. There is a sign-up sheet in the Sprague Room. Please give your payment (cash or check) to Mike or Cindy Henry. Please contact Mike & Cindy Henry for information, Clnh248@gmail.com or 919-471-3030. Join us for a fun night at the ballpark! |
| We ask that if someone attends a service and then tests positive for Covid and others who may have come into close contact with them, that they please contact the rector or senior warden for both pastoral care needs and also to inform others who may have come into close contact with them. Please be advised that neither the clergy nor your vestry will ever ask for help, gift cards, etc. through emails or text messages. Some parishioners have reported receiving bogus text messages. CONTACT UPDATES – Up-to date contact information can be found online at ACS, or the ChurchLife App for your phone or tablet. Contact Mike if you have any problems logging onto ACS. You can also ask Mike to send you a paper directory if needed. |
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